The Last Night
by Miss Sofie
Summary: Maria's story about a night at a ball, where she meets Lord Niklaus and Lord Elijah for the first time. One-shot.


_**A/N:** I still haven't abandoned my Damon/Hannah story. Chapter 6 will be up next. I just feel this urge to write about Elijah these days, since I'm having quite a character crush on him. And OMG...that voice! Drool! _

_Anyway, there may be a couple of errors in this, as I haven't had anyone else to read it before posting. English is not my native language, but do let me know if I have made major language errors! :o)_

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but my OCs._

* * *

><p>My name is Maria, and I'm 19 years old. I have been for centuries. This is the story about the night when I turned 19 forever.<p>

I was at a ball with my parents. My older brother, William, had recently married and he and my new sister-in-law had left to visit some relatives further up North.

It was the first time I was at a ball without William, and I was afraid that I would feel a little uncomfortable and alone. I didn't know many of the young ladies and gentleman, as my family had always lived in the country, very far from everyone else. My closest friend apart from William, was a maid. And I wasn't really allowed to call her my friend.

Anyway, here I was at a ball, trying to enjoy myself and not listen to my mother talking about all the eligible gentlemen who were present.

I couldn't quite escape it, though, an I must admit that I liked the attention from the ones I was introduced to. Not all of them were attentive towards me, of course, but some of them were.

Especially two of them caught my attention as well, though as a lady, I wasn't really supposed to let it show.

"Miss Harrison!" A man my father's age exclaimed as he approached me. He was Mr. Henderson, our family had known his family from before I was born. They were sort of our neighbours, though they lived quite far away.

"Mr. Henderson:" I replied politely with a smile at him. He was very kind, and always in a hurry.

"I'd like to introduce you to someone." He said, and I noticed two young gentlemen behind him. One was fair and the other one was dark, but they both looked very agreeable.

"Miss Harrison, meet the lords Niklaus and Elijah!"

"Charmed!" The fair one said and took the hand I offered him. He bend a little to kiss my hand, and before straightening up again, he looked up at me with a somewhat sly smile on his face.

As he let go of my hand, the dark one was ready to take it, and I let him kiss it as well. He seemed more shy, and he didn't look at me the way the fair one had done.

"So who is who, if I may ask?" I said with a smile at both. Mr. Henderson had disappeared. Always in such a hurry.

"I would be Niklaus." The fair one said and looked at me as if he was about to wink with an eye. "But, please, call me Klaus!"

"I'll do my best to remember that." I said with a polite smile at him. I wasn't sure how to read the way he looked at me. I wasn't used to gentlemen being so bold.

"So you must be Lord Elijah!" I stated with a look at the darker one and waited for his reply.

"My brother doesn't speak much." Klaus said with a teasing, but also very fond, smile at Lord Elijah.

"Please, do not use the title but call me Elijah." The second brother said with a small smile at me.

"So he does speak tonight!" Klaus said and made Elijah look down.

"Well, Elijah it is, then." I said and ignored Klaus' remark. Elijah looked up at me again, giving a small and, I think, grateful smile.

"Would you care to dance, Miss Harrison?" Klaus attracted the attention again, and I could not refuse, knowing that it would be very impolite to do so.

"I'd love to." I replied and took the hand he offered me. We left Elijah standing alone, watching us as we did so. I had only known him for two seconds, but I felt pity for him.

"How come I have never seen you before?" Klaus asked as we danced. He was a very good dancer, I must admit, and I had a lot of fun dancing with him.

"We don't go to many balls, my parents and I." I replied and let go of his hands to dance with one of the other dancing gentlemen. A moment later I was back with Klaus.

"Do you not have any siblings? Or are you the only one out yet?"

"The opposite, I'm afraid. My brother, William, got married a few weeks ago."

"William? William Harrison?"

"Yes?"

"Ah...I know William. If he were here now, he would probably advice you not to dance with me!"

"And why is that, Lord Niklaus?" I asked and couldn't help feeling a little intrigued.

"I probably shouldn't tell you." He said with a teasing smile at me. "And please, it's just Klaus!"

"Now, you can't do that, Klaus." I scolded mildly. "It is a very mean trick to tell a lady the beginning of a story and not the end!"

He gave a little laugh and let go of my hands, following the music and the dance. When he came back, he grapped my hands a held me a little closer than before, though only a little closer than what was appropriate.

"You're brother and I do not exactly agree much. But one thing we have in common is our taste in ladies." He revealed and made me widen my eyes. "There. Enough said. I wouldn't want to scare you away, now, would I?"

"I certainly hope not." I replied, but stepped a little away from him anyway. Just as much as to make our dancing more appropriate.

The music stopped and people applauded. Klaus bowed to me and then lead me by the hand to his brother.

"It was a pleasure, Miss Harrison." He said." Now, if you will please excuse me..."

And with that he left.

"Miss Harrison?" It was the Lord Elijah. "Would you care for a refreshment?"

"Thank you." I said and smiled at him. He still seemed rather shy. "That would be very nice."

A moment later he returned with two glasses of wine, handing me one of them.

"Here you go, Miss Harrison." He said seeming a little nervous.

"Thank you, Lord Elijah!" I replied, using his title on purpose.

"Please, call me Elijah."

"Only if you will call me Maria." I replied teasingly.

He gave me a quick look, as if to see if I really meant it, and then he smiled at me.

"That will have to be Miss Maria, then. Unless I want your father to be angry with me."

"We can't have that, now, can we?" I said and took the drink out of his hand and put it on a tray carried by a servant, alongside my own drink.

"Come dance with me!" I said and took both of his hands. At first he was a little taken aback, but then he followed me with a smile.

He, too, was a very good dancer, though he kept the etiquette better than his brother.

"So, who's the older one of you?" I asked while we danced.

"Klaus is." He replied looking me in the eyes. He was looking me in the eyes all the time that we danced, except when the dance moves didn't allow him to. He had kind eyes.

"Do you have more siblings?" I tried to keep the conversation going.

"A couple of younger brothers, but they're not here tonight."

"What a shame. I would have liked to meet them."

"Maybe some other time."

"Yes, maybe some other time. That would be nice."

"What about you, Miss Maria? Do you have any siblings?"

"One older brother. William. Klaus apparently knows him."

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with him."

"You would have liked him."

"I'm sure I would. If he's your brother, he cannot be too bad." He gave a little smile at this, before he had to let go of me to dance with another lady for a few moments.

When he turned around and got back to me, he was smiling, and the chandeliers above us made his eyes shine in a certain way. He had very dark eyes. Very handsome.

"You are very beautiful!" He said and looked me in the eyes. "If I may be so bold."

I blushed and didn't know what to say. I looked away for a moment and noticed Klaus watching us through the room. I don't think he saw me looking at him, because he didn't smile back at me.

I danced with both brothers a lot that night. At some point my parents got tired of waiting for me, I believe, and since it was not very late yet, I didn't have to come with them, if only we could arrange for some sort of transportation for me, so I could get home later.

"Please, let me take care of that." Klaus interrupted as he came over. "I shall make sure Miss Harrison comes home safely. I have my carriage waiting for me outside."

"That is too kind, Lord Niklaus." My mother said, but I knew that this was exactly what she had been hoping for.

"Nonsense! I'll be going in that direction anyway. You have a safe trip home, and I shall bring your daughter home long before dawn!"

"That is, indeed, very kind of you." My father said and shook Klaus' hand. "Thank you very much."

I was very excited to be allowed to stay at a ball without my parents, but I had no doubts my mother had ulterior motives. I didn't care, though, as long as it meant I could dance all night and talk to very agreeable young men!

Sometime around midnight I went outside to get some fresh air. The ball room was quite warm from all the candles, and all the dancing had made me sweat a little, which wasn't very appropriate for a lady.

Klaus soon joined me, and I wasn't sure what to say. He was much more talkative than his brother, but for some reason I found it easier to speak with Elijah.

It seemed as if Klaus kept up a façade all the time, and though he was charming, it also made me think that he wasn't being completely honest. Elijah, on the other hand, spoke the truth, I was sure. He didn't try to charm me like Klaus did. He was being himself, the perfect gentleman, unlike Klaus who seemed to only act it all the time.

They had me very confused!

Anyway, Klaus joined me outside, and for a while none of us said anything. I was looking at the stars, and I think Klaus pretended to do the same. I was aware of the fact, though, that stargazing was not his reason to come outside.

"You know, Miss Maria," he finally began, "you have me completely under your spell.

He moved a little closer to me and took my hand.

I withdrew it with a nervous smile. Nervous as in not really knowing what to say or do next. I wasn't scared of him.

"I am truly sorry." I said and backed a little away from him. He followed.

"Don't be." He said and took my hand again. "I like it."

"Lord Niklaus, I'm not sure why you're saying and doing this, but I really don't think it's very appropriate."

"Klaus!" He sighed. "It's Klaus!"

"Not until you let go of my hand!"

"You're quite stubborn, are you not?" He asked and let go of my hand. Instead he moved closer than any man had ever done before.

I backed away, but he put an arm around me, placing his hand on my back, so I couldn't move much.

"Miss Maria?" Elijah's voice interrupted, and within a split second Klaus had stepped away from me.

"I'm over here." I said and walked away from Klaus angrily.

"Ah, there you are!" Elijah said with a small smile and handed me a glass of wine. "I thought you might care for a refreshment after all the dancing tonight."

"Thank you very much, I appreciate that." I said and took the drink that he offered me. "Would you walk with me for a while?"

"My pleasure!" He said and offered me his arm. I took it, and we left Klaus to himself.

Elijah and I walked for a while, sometimes talking, and sometimes just walking. It was a beautiful night, the air had not yet become chilly, and Elijah made me smile a lot. He wasn't trying to be funny, I think, but somehow he still was, in that sweet, adorable way that his brother could never be. It was amazing how well I felt I knew him when I had only known him for a few hours, but though he didn't reveal much about himself if I didn't ask, I felt like I knew everything about him.

When we returned from our walk, people were beginning to depart, and so I would have to say goodbye to Elijah, though not to Klaus. I wished it would have been the other way around, though I'm sure my mother would've scolded me for feeling that way.

Anyway, I said goodbye to Elijah outside the carriage. Klaus was waiting inside it, though a real gentleman would've waited for me to enter first.

"Miss Maria, there's something I've been wanting to ask you about." Elijah said and stared at his feet.

"Yes?" I said expectantly.

"May I...perhaps...see you again?" He asked and looked up from his feet and straight into my eyes. I felt a little somersault inside of me as he did so.

"You will have to ask my father about that." I said and saw the disappointed look in his eyes. "But if it were up to me to decide, I would say yes!" I added and earned a smile from him.

He took my hand and helped me get up into the carriage.

"Goodbye Miss Maria!" He said and let go of my hand reluctantly.

"Goodbye Elijah." I replied and sat down inside the dark carriage opposite of Klaus.

"Ah...finally alone!" Klaus said and leaned back in the seat. "Don't you just hate being among so many people where you can't be yourself?"

"No, I do not." I said a little fiercely. "And I do not believe that you cannot be yourself at a ball like this."

"Ah, but that is easy for you to say, Maria!"

I ignored his lack of use of _Miss._

Why would it be any easier for me than you?" I asked wishing that I had lived closer to town, as there was now a long way home with Klaus in the carriage.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." He said, and for an instant I felt sort of sorry for him, though I'm not sure why.

"For instance, the cravings..."

"Cravings? What cravings?" I asked confusedly.

"For blood."

"Pardon me?"

Then, suddenly, Klaus moved over to sit next to me, and put a hand on my neck.

"What are you doing, Lord Niklaus!" I exclaimed in horror. This definitely wasn't appropriate.

"Taking your miserable high society life away!" He snorted, and before I reached as much as giving a scream, he sunk his teeth into my neck. I felt a severe pain that continued for what seemed like forever, and when it finally stopped, I fell on the ground outside the carriage, unable to move. Though my sight was blurred I was quite sure Klaus had left. I couldn't hear him, nor the coachman, and I knew that this was it. I was going to die.

After what seemed like decades to me, I heard the distant gallop of a horse. I wasn't sure, but I thought it came closer. I didn't care. If it was Klaus, I hoped he would finish what he had begun and relieve me of my pain, and if it was anyone else, well, I hoped they would do the same.

A moment later I was sure. The horse was coming towards me, and an instant later, I heard Elijah's voice.

"Miss Maria!" He shouted sounding very scared. Then he lowered his voice, but I was still able to hear it. "Please don't be dead!"

I would've said something if I could, but all I did was lie there, doing nothing, just watching and listening as best I could.

Elijah jumped off the horse and reached me excessively fast. He put his ear to my chest and what he heard must have satisfied him.

"Maria!" He said and shook my shoulders rather brutally. I couldn't reply. I couldn't even blink my eyes.

"Maria, wake up! It's not too late!" He almost shouted in my face, but I still just lay there, unable to do anything at all.

Then, as if he had completely forgotten about a solution that I didn't know about, he ripped open the vein on his wrist and thrust it against my lips. He held my head up and forced me to open my mouth, making me drink his blood. At first I could barely swallow, and then, suddenly, I felt a little stronger. I tried to push him away from me, but I barely managed to move, as he held me in a firm grip. Then I began drinking, and I felt how it made me stronger with every heartbeat. I didn't like the taste of it, but I did like the feeling that my life wasn't over yet. Elijah's blood made the adrenaline pump inside of me, and for a few moments I felt completely happy. Then he removed his wrist, and I watched how the wound closed immediately.

"What happened?" I asked in confuse. Clearly, I had been dreaming. Though...I was lying on the ground right outside the carriage.

"You were hurt, but you're alright now." Elijah said and helped me get up.

"Did you just...?" I couldn't finish the sentence. Then I licked my lips, which had a slight taste of metal to them. Blood! It hadn't been a dream!

"I had to." Elijah said and lead me to his horse. "You would've died if I hadn't."

"But why? What happened to me? Did Klaus really..."

"Yes, I'm afraid he did. My brother always has ulterior motives when courting a girl like he did you tonight. I had to follow you."

"I sure am grateful that you did." I said and looked down myself. In the twilight I could easily see that blood had poured from my neck and down my dress.

"Let me help you up." Elijah said as we reached the horse. He grapped my waist and lifted me up. Then he began walking with the reins in his hand.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, still very confused.

"Home." He replied looking up at me. "Is there anywhere else you would rather go?"

"My home our yours?" I asked, not sure where he lived.

"Yours, of course, Miss Maria." He said and looked down again.

"It's a rather long distance from here." I said and thought about asking him to ride on the horse with me. "You can't possibly walk it."

"I can." He said without looking at me. "I could run it very fast and carry you at the same time, but you would probably be frightened if I did so."

"Are you...?"

"Yes, just like my brother."

"What exactly is that?"

"A monster!" He said and I left it at that.

The sun was shining and I was drifting off on the horse once in a while. Whenever I would be about to fall off, Elijah would support me and wake me up. Even in a situation like this, he was being the perfect gentleman. I wasn't exactly being a lady.

Suddenly Elijah stopped the horse and I woke up. There, in front of us on the road, stood Klaus.

I wanted to get down and hide behind Elijah, but I just sat stiff on the horse.

"I knew my brother couldn't resist you!" Klaus said slyly, looking ready for battle.

"Talking about resisting..." Elijah mumbled sarcstically and held onto the reins of the now scared horse.

"Come on, brother!" Klaus said in his charming voice. "Let's have a little fun!"

"No!" Elijah shouted and jumped up to sit behind me on the horse. Then he turned it around and spurred it, making it try to run from Klaus.

But Klaus was faster than the horse, and soon the poor beast lay dead on the ground. My leg was stuck beneath it, and though Elijah tried to remove the horse very quickly, he wasn't fast enough for Klaus. The latter sped to me, took my face between his hands and kissed me. No man had ever kissed me before, but before I had a chance to turn my face away from him, I heard a crack and felt something breaking. My neck!

"You didn't!" Elijah shouted and kicked his brother in the stomach. The latter came right back at him, and while they were fighting, I, once again, lay waiting to die.

But I didn't. Though my neck was broken, it seemed to heal by itself, and suddenly I was strong enough to pull my leg out from under the horse.

Elijah saw this and hurried to my side, leaving an amused Klaus to himself.

"You're so pathetic, little brother!" He laughed and then he had gone.

"I am truly sorry, Maria." Elijah said and reached out a hand to me to help me get up.

"I'm alright." I replied and took his hand, though I didn't feel like I needed it. In fact, the only thing I did feel was hungry.

"No, you're not alright."

"Well, maybe not, but at least I'm still alive."

"Well, technically..."

"But why do I feel so hungry?" I cut him off. "It feels like I haven't had anything to eat for weeks. Or even months!"

"It's always like that in the beginning." He said still holding my hand. "Come on, we don't have much time. Soon you will have to make a choice, and I want to teach you the basics before that happens."

"Sure." I said and didn't really listen. "But can I at least have something to eat first?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** So what do you think? Please leave a review, so I'll have a chance to know! Thanks!_

_- Miss Sofie_


End file.
